BSection II Reading Comprehension/B

Suppose a typhoon swept across Taiwan, and the students in your university actively took part in the donation activities. As the chairman of the Student Union, write a letter to the kindhearted students to 1) thank them, and 2) express your compliments. You should write about 100 words. Do not use your own name. Use "Li Ming" instead. Do not write your address.

Every two weeks a language disappears. By 2100 nearly half of the 6,000 spoken today may be gone. Migration, either between countries or from the countryside to cities, is one reason: though new arrivals generally stick with their mother tongue, at least at home, their children rarely do. The dominance of English is another. But one tongue against the trend is Romani, spoken by 4m of the roughly 11m Roma people worldwide. Its health attests to the importance of language in shaping identity. Unlike most languages, Romani has no country to call home. Its roots lie in India, but since the 10th century its speakers have scattered and kept moving. One result is that they are everywhere a linguistic minority. Another is that 150 different dialects are in use. "Anglo-Romani" , spoken in Britain, differs widely from dialects in France, Bulgaria and Latvia. One Roma man in New Zealand speaks a dialect previously only heard in Wales. The 290,000 native Swedish speakers in Finland show no signs of dropping their language—but it is their country"s second official one, compulsory in all schools and spoken by 9.5m Swedes next door. Irish hangs on partly because of government spending on translating road signs and documents, broadcasting, teaching and extra marks for brave students who use the tongue in their final school exams. But without a government to champion it, Romani is used mostly in the home. Academics and linguists have written it down and tried to standardise it, but many of those who speak it do not read it. America printed a Romani guide to its 2000 census form, but that is a rarity; it almost never features in official documents. The lack of texts complicates attempts to teach it formally. Roma Kulturklass, a Swedish Roma-ni-language school, is one of a handful in the world. Its 35 pupils study everything except Swedish and English in both Romani and Swedish. But with few textbooks, says Angelina Dimiter Taikon, the head teacher, staff must make do with their own translations.

Suppose a typhoon swept across Taiwan, and the students in your university actively took part in the donation activities. As the chairman of the Student Union, write a letter to the kindhearted students to 1) thank them, and 2) express your compliments. You should write about 100 words. Do not use your own name. Use "Li Ming" instead. Do not write your address.

BPart BDirections: Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following information./B

Women are moody. By evolutionary design, we are hard-wired to be sensitive to our environments, empathic to our children' s needs and intuitive of our partners' intentions. This is basic to our survival and that of our offspring. Some research suggests that women are often better at articulating their feelings than men because as the female brain develops, more capacity is reserved for language, memory, hearing and observing emotions in others. These are observations rooted in biology, not intended to mesh with any kind of pro- or anti-feminist ideology. But they do have social implications. Women's emotionality is a sign of health, not disease; it is a source of power. But we are under constant pressure to restrain our emotional lives. We have been taught to apologize for our tears, to suppress our anger and to fear being called hysterical. The pharmaceutical industry plays on that fear, targeting women in a barrage of advertising on daytime talk shows and in magazines. More Americans are on psychiatric medications than ever before, and in my experience they are staying on them far longer than was ever intended. Sales of antidepressants and antianxiety meds have been booming in the past two decades, and they've recently been outpaced by an antipsychotic, Ability, that is the No. 1 seller among all drugs in the United States, not just psychiatric ones. At least one in four women in America now takes a psychiatric medication, compared with one in seven men. Women are nearly twice as likely to receive a diagnosis of depression or anxiety disorder than men are. For many women, these drugs greatly improve their lives. But for others they aren't necessary. The increase in prescriptions for psychiatric medications, often by doctors in other specialties, is creating a new normal, encouraging more women to seek chemical assistance. Whether a woman needs these drugs should be a medical decision, not a response to peer pressure and consumerism. Obviously, there are situations where psychiatric medications are called for. The problem is too many genuinely ill people remain untreated, mostly because of socioeconomic factors. People who don't really need these drugs are trying to medicate a normal reaction to an unnatural set of stressors: lives without nearly enough sleep, sunshine, nutrients, movement and eye contact, which is crucial to us as social primates.

Directions:Writeanessaybasedonthechart.Inyourwriting,youshould1)interpretthechart,and2)giveyourcomments.Youshouldwriteabout150words.

Suppose you phoned your friend Mary several times yesterday but she didn "t answer your call at all. Write her an email to 1) find out what happened, and 2) ask if she need your help. You should write about 100 words. Do not use your own name. Use "Li Ming" instead. Do not write your address.

BSection III Writing/B

Economics is an important component of the core MBA curriculum because economic principles are behind almost all managerial activities. Economists at business schools research and teach about how markets work; how scarce resources get produced, consumed and allocated; and how various participants in the economy make optimal decisions. These issues will be relevant to managers in virtually all aspects of their work for the rest of their careers. This is true both at the broadest levels—such as strategic management, finance, organizational design, human resources, and managing global organizations—and also when they drill down into more specific areas, such as optimizing prices, setting employee compensation, and analyzing how modern managerial practices affect a firm's performance. One rapidly growing area of economics that has received a lot of attention from business-school economists is market design. Traditionally, economists studied the properties of existing market institutions. More recently, however, they have taken an active role, and have applied economic analysis to design new markets or to improve existing ones.

BSection I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D./B

BSection III Writing/B

" It can't be that every annual salary negotiation makes it a strain just to begin the school year," said President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner during a speech to Congress on March 1st. Yes it can. Strikes this week delayed the start of classes in 19 of Argentina's 24 districts, after provincial unions and governments failed to reach agreements about wage rises. Negotiations between the national government and federal unions, which are meant to set a minimum benchmark for the provinces , also foundered. With some unions demanding more than 40% hikes, the national government and Buenos Aires's provincial government, the most influential negotiators, offered increases of just 22% and 25. 5% this year respectively. The unions called the proposals "a provocation". Tension had been expected. The teachers' unions want salary rises above Argentina's galloping inflation rate. Since the start of the year the government has devalued the Argentine peso by over 20%, causing inflation expectations to spike. According to Eduardo Levy Yeyati of Elypsis, a consultancy, prices are expected to jump by 32% this year. And now that the government has started publishing more realistic data, it cannot simply pretend the problem of rising prices does not exist. The teachers' unions have a strong hand. In December provincial police squeezed 35%-100% pay increases out of their employers. Public-sector employees are not fearful of losing their jobs. Strikes give unions the power to cause widespread chaos. But the government cannot afford to concede too much ground. The negotiations with the teachers will set a precedent for salary talks with other unions scheduled for later this month and April. To ensure that inflation does not continue to accelerate, the authorities need to curb real wages. Budgetary considerations also play their part. According to Economia & Regiones, a research group, if the provinces were to grant 30% raises to their 2m employees, that would double their collective fiscal deficit. That may nonetheless be what happens. In the five jurisdictions that were able to reach accords, the teachers and the provinces agreed to increases of around 30%. That wouldn't do much to bring down inflation, but it would at least help keep it from skyrocketing . And it would mean the school year can begin.

Google is talking to auto makers about how to bring its self-driving-car technology to market, executives said Tuesday. Project director Chris Urmson said a self-driving car is probably still six years away. But, he added, "We are thinking now about how to bring this car to market." There is a lot of "debate internally about how automobiles can use this technology," said Sebastian Thrun, the original leader of Google's autonomous car project. "There will be a time when a significant number of cars will carry Google technology." Google' s co-founder Sergey Brin—Urmson' s boss—said roughly a year and a half ago that Google' s self-driving car was about five years away. Urmson said on Tuesday that he is working on a six-year timeline, based on when his 10-year-old son turns 16 and will be able to drive in California. Bryant Walker Smith, a fellow at Stanford University's Center for Automotive Research, said it can take up to six years to design and build a new car. Smith said any self-driving car ready in six years would likely be "limited in terms of capability, availability , or geography." Google' s car looks like a regular vehicle but it uses multiple sensors and map data in real time to understand where it is and maneuver through streets and highways without human intervention. The project started in 2009 and became an early part of Google X, the company's research lab for risky, long-term initiatives. Some on Wall Street are concerned about Google' s increased focus on these projects; however, they also give the company a chance to expand into huge new markets, such as autos. Urmson said Google's autonomous cars are expensive, but he declined to be specific. That's partly due to the laser sensor perched on top of the vehicles, which is made by Silicon Valley-based Company Velodyne. About 150 of these laser devices are produced a year, which increases the price of the component, Urmson explained. Besides, Arturo Corral, one of Google's test drivers, said weather is a serious challenge. In heavy rain, the system asks drivers to take back control of the car, Corral said. Google has not tested the vehicles in snow yet. "We still have a long way to go," he added.

Children need exercise. Parents often worry that 【C1】______time for athletics or even for just playing on the Jungle Jim is going to take away from their kids' 【C2】______achievement. But actually, the【C3】______is true. There have been analyses of huge numbers of studies that all show that kids who are【C4】______are better in school, get better grades, and have higher【C5】______scores than kids who lack of exercise. And that is probably because【C6】______the lifespan, even into old age, there's a strong correlation between a healthy heart and a healthy brain. The brain is the most【C7】______organ that your circulatory system has to【C8】______. It takes up a lot of the body's oxygen and a lot of the body's【C9】______. And unlike most of your【C10】______your brain can't live very long【C11】______that blood supply. You cut blood supply off for about five minutes and parts of the brain start dying. So blocked arteries and little clots that cut off blood flow to the brain in older people are a【C12】______source of cognitive difficulty and cognitive deterioration with age. And even in little kids, being physically fit clearly【C13】______intellectual performance. The other thing parents should be thinking about is that in childhood your kid needs about 90 minutes a day of active【C14】______, and parents should really【C15】______, I think, on making sure that that's fun, first of all. You don't want to【C16】______exercise as punishment. And you also, I think, want to have them doing something that could potentially continue into adulthood.【C17】______much your kids like climbing trees, they're not going to be doing that when they're 40, not most of us anyway. And【C18】______you give them a sport or a taste for hiking or a taste for yoga, something that grownups do, you【C19】______reduce the chance that they're going to be one of the large numbers of people who are active children who grow into inactive adults. Usually that【C20】______happens around the age of 13 or so.

For years, French, Italian and American luxury brands have【C1】______ as China' s middle class developed a(n) 【C2】______ for high-end fashion and jewelry. But that sales boom is【C3】______ based on the disappointing results many Western luxury retailers have reported of late, 【C4】______ much suggests this slowdown will be【C5】______ . French luxury brand Hermes said watch sales fell 11% in large【C6】______ because of China, and the company is expecting overall growth this year to remain【C7】______ compared to recent averages. Meanwhile, Prada said it expects the tough times for luxury to continue after its China sales fell 4% in 2014. 【C8】______, Hermes, known for its highly coveted Birkin bags and horse-themed silk scarves that go for thousands of dollars each, has continued to 【C9】______ its stores in China. Why? Because there is【C10】______ data to suggest that luxury' s current slowdown in China is【C11】______ a speed bump. According to a new report by the Economic Intelligence Unit【C12】______ by Citigroup, China' s wealthy will have double the【C13】______ of their U.S counterpart within five years. That means a lot of people will be wanting to shop at Prada and Gucci and buying expensive Estee Lauder beauty products. And such companies are happy to【C14】______. Fashion company Michael Kors which is just getting started with its China expansion, recently said sales there are "starting to【C15】______." Kors' main competitor Coach, which plans several new stores in China, saw its sales there rise 13% in its most recent quarter. Tiffany is full【C16】______ ahead with its China expansion【C17】______ disappointing numbers over the holidays at its Hong Kong stores, a favorite haunt of mainland customers. So it's clear that any Chinese slowdown is seen by luxury and retail executives as a temporary change. "China's prestige beauty growth remains at high single digits, and we see【C18】______ opportunities to enter additional cities, doors and【C19】______, and【C20】______ more brands," Estee Lauder CEO said last month.

BSection I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D./B

We"ve been hearing about it for years, but the bookless library has finally arrived, first appearing on college campuses. At Drexel University"s new Library Learning Terrace, which opened just last month, there is not a bound【C1】______, just rows of computers and plenty of seating offering【C2】______to the Philadelphia university"s 170 million【C3】______items. Scott Erdy, designer of the new library, says open,【C4】______space allows student and staff "knowledge transfer," a concept【C5】______by Danuta Nitecki, dean of Drexel"s libraries. "We don"t【C6】______house books, we house learning," she says. The trend began, naturally,【C7】______engineers, when Kansas State University"s engineering library went primarily bookless several years ago. Last year, Stanford University【C8】______all but 10,000 printed books from its new engineering library, making more room【C9】______large tables and study areas. And the University of Texas a-bandoned print【C10】______electronic material when it opened its engineering library last year. But when books disappear, does a library lose its【C11】______? "The library is a social tent pole," says Michael Connelly, a best-selling author. "There are a lot of ideas under it.【C12】______the pole and the tent comes down." Connelly says that browsing through【C13】______books brings inspiration of the kind that led him from【C14】______his campus library"s stacks straight to a writing【C15】______. "Can something like that happen in a bookless library? I"m not so sure," he says. From a design perspective, some architects also【C16】______the inevitable trend toward booklessness. Steven Holl, architect of Queens Library"s new branch, in New York City, says books still provide character and are a nice counterpoint to technology. "A book【C17】______knowledge, and striking a balance in a library is a good thing." He says.【C18】______other designers, seem inspired by the challenge presented by a world going bookless. Others are hedging their bets that【C19】______the library isn"t bookless now, someday it probably will be. To most people, it is best when paper and electronic【C20】______are both available.

BPart BDirections: Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following information./B

On her first morning in America, last summer, my daughter went out to explore her new neighborhood—alone, without even telling my wife or me. Of course we were worried; we had just moved from Berlin, and she was just 8. But when she came home, we realized we had no reason to panic. Beaming with pride, she told us how she had discovered the little park around the corner, and had made friends with a few local dog owners. She had taken possession of her new environment, and was keen to teach us things we didn't know. When this story comes up in conversations with American friends, we are usually met with polite disbelief. Most are horrified by the idea that their children might roam around without adult supervision. A study by the University of California, Los Angeles, has found that American kids spend 90 percent of their leisure time at home. Even when kids are physically active, they are watched closely by adults. Such narrowing of the child's world has happened across the developed world. But Germany is generally much more accepting of letting children take some risks. To this German parent, it seems that America's middle class has taken overprotective parenting to a new level. "We are depriving them of opportunities to learn how to take control of their own lives," writes Peter Gray, a research professor at Boston College. He argues that this increases "the chance that they will suffer from anxiety, depression, and so on," which have gone up dramatically in recent decades. He sees risky, outside play of children among themselves without adult supervision as a way of learning to control strong emotions like anger and fear. I am no psychologist like Professor Gray, but I know I won't be around forever to protect my girl from the challenges life holds in store for her, so the earlier she develop the intellectual maturity to navigate the world, the better. And by giving kids more control over their lives, they learn to have more confidence in their own capabilities. It is hard for parents to balance the desire to protect their children against the desire to make them more self-reliant. And every one of us has to decide for himself what level of risk he is ready to accept. But parents who prefer to keep their children always in sight and under their thumbs should consider what sort of trade-offs are involved in that choice.